How to Make Pickles, Kimchi, and Other Fermented Foods

How to Make Pickles, Kimchi, and Other Fermented Foods

Culinary inspiration can come in unlikely forms. For Cortney Burns, co-chef of Bar Tartine in San Francisco, it started with a doctor’s appointment.

“It’s not so sexy: I was having digestion problems,” she says. A naturopathic doctor put her on a regimen including sauerkraut and water kefir, a fermented soda. The pro-biotic prescription was a delicious success.

Fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt contain “good” bacteria that aid digestion, which in turn improves nutrient absorption. As Burns felt better, she began experimenting at home. She realized that lactic acid, a fermentation by-product, was “deepening flavor, creating awesome layers.” Discovering that funkiness inspired her to start an expansive fermentation program at Bar Tartine, ranging from dry, effervescent fruit sodas to tart pickled vegetables.

Burns isn’t the only pro who’s hooked. Fermented pickles, kimchis, and buttermilk are now part of the savvy chef ’s arsenal. “Fermentation provides a special acidity and buoyancy,” says Hugh Acheson of Empire State South in Atlanta, who hops up salads with fermented pickled carrots.

But there’s another reason chefs are experimenting with fermentation: It’s easy. “This is grandmother stuff, not avant-garde molecular cuisine,” says Burns. Try these two great ways to bring the new-old trend home.

Fermented Grape Soda

The ginger “bug,” which jump-starts the fermentation in this recipe from chef Cortney Burns, Bar Tartine, San Francisco, specifically uses organic ginger because it’s rich in microbes. You’ll have extra bug; use it to make more grape soda, or try 4 cups fresh unpasteurized apple juice in place of grape.GET THE RECIPE